


Draw the Circle

by PitbullMabari



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, FMA AU, Fullmetal Alchemist AU, Zutara, Zutara Week, casually writing all my queer headcanons into the zk week fic, genderfluid!katara, queer!zutara, trans!ko
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-13
Updated: 2014-07-16
Packaged: 2018-02-08 15:31:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 1,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1946454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PitbullMabari/pseuds/PitbullMabari
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Painted Alchemist Katara Kunuk and their partner Zuko Agni search for a Philosopher's Stone to help achieve the couple's goals. Uncovering the truth within the truth leads them to a much darker secret than they were looking for. Or, a series of ficlets written for zutara week 2014 featuring queer!Zutara's adventures in a Fullmetal Alchemist AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Melancholy (I've Seen My Angel Weak And Pale)

**Author's Note:**

> A/n: Fullmetal Alchemist AU, because I can. It’ll follow the events of Brotherhood, but not in chronological order. At the beginning I’ll say when the chapter takes place.  
> You may want to read the tags for context.  
> Featuring queer!zutara, also because I can.
> 
> Just after “Alchemists’ Anguish”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the death of Nina, Katara makes Zuko a promise.

**I've Seen My Angel Weak And Pale**  
 **1 - Melancholy: a feeling of pensive sadness.**  
 _I've seen the Monster at the door_  
 _no man should ever see,_  
 _and I've seen my angel weak and pale_  
 _and both of them are me._  
 _-Leslie Fish and the Dehorn Crew “Enemy Within”_

He finds her sitting on the edge of a fountain several streets from the apartment. Her hair is wet as she sits, slumped forward, hunched slightly to keep her face from the rain. He doesn't bother lifting her hood to keep her dry. The rain comforts her. Instead he sits beside her silently, trying to find the words to describe what's happened.

  
“She...she was a _child_.” She says it haltingly. “She was a _child_ and I couldn't...we couldn't save her.”

  
“We didn't know,” he manages to whisper after a moment. “We didn't – we couldn't – There was no way to tell. After two years. There wasn't anything left. He probably destroyed all the records, or didn't keep them.”

  
Her lip trembles, and she can't hold back her tears any longer. They stream down, and she leans forward, sobbing. He nudges her closer to him, wiping her tears away from her face. It's only then that he realises what's different – she's not wearing the make up she usually wears, cobalt pigment in triangles across her cheekbones and chin (A Southern tradition, stolen from their Air Nomad neighbors, that stopped until recently, after the war, when it began making a comeback. Preserve what you can, and mourn the rest).

  
“You're not wearing your make up,” he whispers.

  
She shakes her head sadly. “What's the point?” she asks. “It – it's to make my alchemy stronger, but what's the point in alchemy if I can't save a little girl?”

  
He takes a little while to decide what, and how, he's going to say next. “Because you couldn't save her,” he says at last, “but that doesn't mean you can't save other people. We're only human, but – humans have done a lot, good and bad. And I think...I think that maybe alchemy can help us do more.”

  
A trembling metal hand reaches up to the taller alchemist's breast and grasps his shirt. “I won't give up,” the other whispers. “I promise. I'll keep looking for a way to help you, and I'll let everyone think I'm doing it for myself if it means keeping you safe.”

He swallows the lump in his throat. “I'm not the only one who needs it,” he tells her before pressing a kiss to her brow.

She leans into him. “I know,” she assures him. “I'll help everyone I can.”


	2. Jubilant (Make A Deal With God)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katara confronts Raava.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I originally wrote this with female pronouns for Katara, then changed my mind and replaced them with neutral ones. I *think* I’ve got them all, but if I missed one let me know so I can fix it.
> 
> I was, in all honesty, a little dissatisfied with the ending of FMAB, so it's...quite different here.

_Just after Father's defeat._

**Make a Deal With God**

**2 – Jubilant: Feeling great happiness and triumph**

_IF I only could_

_I'd make a deal with God_

_And I'd get him to swap our places._

_-Kate Bush “Running Up That Hill”_

 

“Take it.”

They lift their eyes to first the hand stretched out in front of them, holding that deadly red shard, then the face above it.

“Take it,” Smellerbee tells them. “We – we don't need it. Jet – Jet doesn't need it any more.”

Katara tries not to think about the reason Jet doesn't need it, to ignore the way Bee's hand shakes, and takes the Stone.

They look at it, small and harmless looking in their brown hand (Dammit Zuko, I didn't want it back). The only way the Stone looks like it could hurt somebody is if they cut themselves on the sharp edges.

They draw the circle. They shouldn't know it this well, by heart, from seeing and drawing it so many times. The portal opens.

_They turn to see Raava, sitting before them. “Well?” the world asks in the voice of ten thousand souls. “Have you found what you were looking for?”_

“ _I have.” They sit down onto the 'floor', legs crossed, and holds their arm out in front of them. “I don't need this.”_

“ _And the body?” They could swear that Raava's voices sound amused._

_They reach into their jacket and pulls from it the Stone which they lay on the ground in front of them. “Take the toll from here, and lay the rest to peace. My grandfather said the souls of the dead are reborn thousands of times until they are enlightened through joining with you, Truth. He says that as alchemists our goal is to see the Truth, and that we come a little closer to it each time our research is a success.”_

_Ra'ava_ laughs _. “And yet he is a man who will never see such a Truth. Well, human? Now that you have faced me, is it all that you wished? What do you think of the_ Truth? _”_

“ _It is the most beautiful and terrible thing I have ever seen.”_

_The world smiles. “You have achieved wisdom, Alchemist._

“ _Return to your world, and take the other with you.”_

 

When he awakes, something is different.

The first thing he notices is grass, and then the wool blanket being placed around his shoulders. Then Katara's voice, calling his name, and he looks at them, and they're crying and smiling from relief and joy and triumph all at once and he's smiling with them and then they slap him across the face (with their _metal hand_ , the one they lost in the war, after they became a State Alchemist)and it stings, and he knows what it's for, and he deserves it, he really, really does.

“Don't you _ever_ do that to me again!” Katara half-screams half-sobs. “I thought – Zuko, I thought you were _dead._ I – I thought....”

“It's okay,” he tells them. “It's – it's okay, I'm fine. I won't do it again I promise. I'm alive, see? I'm....” his voice trails off. T _hat's_ what's different. It's deeper. He doesn't have to adjust it. He smiles. “I'm wonderful.”

And then he kisses them.

 


	3. Mmotorcycle (Nightdialing)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While at Sokka's for repairs, Katara makes a request.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry for being a day late with this, and it’s almost entirely PURE fluff with no plot at all, but it’s cute fluff, and we all need a little cute sometimes.

**Nightdialing**

**3 – Motorcycle: a two-wheeled vehicle that is powered by a motor and has no pedals.**

“We should get a motorcycle.”

It's the first thing he hears when he picks up the phone; no “hello, how's it been in Central?” or “I missed you,” or even “It's Katara”. Just a suggestion that the pair of them _buy a motorcycle._

Zuko rubs his temples. “Katara,” he begins. “It's 2 am.” But of course she already knows that – or maybe not. Is it 2 am in the Water Tribe? He honestly doesn't care.

“I know. You're getting off topic. We should get a motorcycle.”

“Katara....” Zuko groans, then gives up. “Fine. Why should we get a motorcycle?”

When he gets the answer, he realises he should have expected it.

“...Because then we can run around the world fighting crime and doling out justice and learning new alchemy techniques just like we always wanted to.”

Zuko sits down heavily on the chair beside the counter where his phone stands. “Why can't we do that in a Jeep?”

“Because Jeeps aren't _romantic.”_

She wants to get a motorcycle because it's romantic. Of fucking course she does.

Sometimes Zuko _really_ can't believe he's in love with this woman. Person. Whatever.

“Romantic? Have you ever tried to have sex on one of those things?” it's the first thing he thinks, and it just flies to his lips before he can stop it (It's probably true, though, now that he thinks about it. It _would_ be uncomfortable).

“I know for a fact _you_ haven't.”

Zuko rubs his forehead, and changes the subject. “How're things in the Water Tribe? Was Sokka still up when you got in?”

“You're changing the subject, and I still think we should get a motorcycle. And yes, he was. I got in about an hour ago, he's a fucking owl. I'd have called earlier, but I needed my temp hand on first.

“...And I got a lead. I need you to look for the notes of a Dr. Marcoh.”


	4. Cobalt BLue (You Will Never Quench the Fire)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, Katara is well-prepared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one has no Zuko, and quite possibly no picture to go with it, and for that I am sorry. Also, nb!Katara.
> 
> During “Revving at Full Throttle”

**You Will Never Quench The Fire**

 

**4 – Cobalt Blue: a deep blue pigment containing cobalt and aluminum oxides.**

_You may never understand_ **  
**How the stranger is inspired **  
**But he isn't always evil **  
**And he is not always wrong **  
**Though you drown in good intentions **  
**You will never quench the fire

_\- Billy Joel “The Stranger”_

 

Katara Kunuk, Painted Alchemist, genderfluid, member of the Southern Water Tribe, did not intend to be going on the run.

Actually, ze didn't intend on doing a lot of things.

...Maybe ze needs to start thinking before ze does things.

Anything.

Part of mer points out that that was what Zuko was for. Zuko thinks, Katara acts. It works pretty well – when they're together, physically.

Which, at the moment, they're not. So Katara has to be mer own Zuko.

Ze eyes the wanted poster Darius handed mer reproachfully. “That's _it_?” ze asks. “ 'braided brown hair, blue tat – _tattoos_?' (Do they know _anything?) '_ blue eyes, short, dark skin'? My skin isn't even that dark.” Ze sighs. “I guess I'll have to stick to the _assimilated_ look for awhile.”

“You mean they're not tattoos?” Darius asks, taking the paper back from the alchemist.

Katara resists the urge to roll mer eyes – s _parklers_ – and instead tells him, “It's make-up – waterproof, yeah, but not too difficult to take off.” ze rubs mer chin. “Actually, you mind if we stop a moment so I can take it off? It's pretty common in the Water Tribe, but not exactly inconspicuous around here.”

“No, of course not,” Darius agrees. “That's a good idea. If you don't mind my asking, how do you take it off if it's waterproof?”

Katara grins, pulling out the small pouch ze kept with mer for such purposes. “Tell me, Darius, what's the pigment that makes things blue?”

“Well, lapis, for one. But that's quite expensive. It's usually indigo, isn't it? Or cobalt, I suppose, for glass.”

“And what is glass made of?” Ze asks, pouring the contents of the bag into a small pile on the ground in front of them.

“Sand,” the chimera replies. “Glass is sand that's been heated somehow.”

Katara grins wickedly, drawing a circle in the pile before mer, then clapping mer hands together.

A moment later, ze catches a small, bright blue vial, half full of liquid.

 

(Katara decides, several days later, just before the Promised Day, that if they face their maker, they'll face her as who they are. They find leather, and make a coat in the style of their ancestors, and put on their make up. They turn to face the dawning sun as the Painted Alchemist, an adult of the Southern Water Tribe.)


End file.
